Appeals court freezes ruling ordering halt to Washington National Guard deployment

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Thursday paused a federal court decision that had ordered an end to the deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., a measure pushed by the Trump administration since August in response to rising crime in the capital.

The appeals court's stay is temporary, but it halts the immediate implementation of the ruling issued Nov. 20 by Judge Jia Cobb.

Judge Cobb had concluded that President Donald Trump, still in his capacity as head of state, exceeded his authority by ordering the deployment of the District National Guard and units from other states without the consent of local authorities. According to the judge, the Executive may protect federal facilities and functions but not unilaterally assume operational control of urban security.

Her order, however, contemplated a 21-day period to allow for an appeal, a deadline that is now virtually extended after the appeal.

The White House celebrated the appeals court's decision, insisting that the president acted within his legal authority, contrary to Cobb's ruling. The federal government contends that the declaration of a crime emergency in Washington, issued in August, justified the mobilization of more than 2,300 National Guard troops and the reinforcement of federal agents.

The deployment has been the subject of multiple court challenges as well as criticism in traditional media outlets. The district attorney general, Brian Schwalb, sued to prevent any future troop mobilization from taking place without approval from the DC mayor's office.

In parallel, the federal government has defended similar deployments in cities such as Los Angeles and appealed adverse rulings in Portland.

The controversy gained intensity after an attack that left one soldier dead and another wounded at a subway station near the White House. In response, the Trump Administration requested 500 additional guardsmen, and the governor of Arkansas announced the dispatch of a contingent of her own.